Phytochemical screening and evaluation of the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of Ferula caspica M. Bieb. extracts

Chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts from the aerial parts of Ferula caspica M. Bieb. were tested for their antioxidant capacities by CUPRAC, ABTS, FRAP, Folin–Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods and for antimicrobial activities by the broth microdilution method. Chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts showed the highest antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity. Three known sesquiterpene derivatives; 1-(2′,4′-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,7,11-trimethyl-3-vinyl-6(E),10-dodecadien-1-one (1), 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-2-[4′,8′-dimethyl-3′,7′-nonadienyl]-furo[3,2,c]coumarin (2), 2,3-dihydro-7-hydroxy-2,3-dimethyl-3-[4′,8′-dimethyl-3′,7′-nonadienyl]-furo[3,2,c]coumarin(3); phenylpropanoid; laserine/2-epilaserine (4/5) and steroid mixtures; stigmasterol and β-sitosterol (6/7) were isolated from chloroform extract; three known flavonoids; kaempferol-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (8), kaempferol-3-O-α-rhamnopyranoside (9), quercetin-3-O-β-glucopyranoside (10), and one benzoic acid derivative; 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (11) were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods.